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Middle East festivals mull future BY MELANIE GOODFELLOW
The unexpected closure of the UAE’s Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) last month has fuelled talk in Cannes about which festival might step in to fill the void. DIFF has said on its website that it will be back in 2019, although few in the region believe this and rumours are circulating that Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s largest and richest emirate, is mulling a revival of Abu Dhabi Film Festival, which was shut down in 2015.
Migration begins for Birds Of Passage
Abu Dhabi is one of several potential candidates, as well as Saudi Arabia, whose nascent industry has been the talk of the Croisette. Saudi officials have downplayed the suggestion of a festival launch. Some suggest Egypt’s Red Sea resort-set El Gouna Film Festival, bankrolled by billionaire Naguib Sawiris and overseen by respected cinema expert Intishal Al Timimi, could step up. Cannes attendees flocked to
Sawiris’s yacht for a weekend soiree feting the fledgling festival. As the second edition is set for September, many question privately how long the tycoon will continue to foot the bill. Another potential candidate is Cairo International Film Festival, which will mark its 40th edition this November. One of the oldest festivals in the Arab world, it has a chequered on-again, off-again history and has been accused of bowing to state censorship.
Hubert Boesl
BY GABRIELE NIOLA
Valeria Golino’s second film and return to Un Certain Regard Euforia has stirred up interest here for True Colours, which has closed deals for French-speaking territories (Paname), Greece (Strada), former Yugoslavia (Stars Media) and China (Bravos Pictures). Talks are ongoing on the Indigo Film and HT Films drama for the US, UK, Australia, Japan, Spain and Taiwan. 01 Distribution plans an autumn release for the film, which stars Riccardo Scamarcio and Valerio Mastandrea as estranged brothers forced to cohabit for a few months in Rome. After a solid $3.8m (¤3.2m) Italian box-office run, comedy
Spike Lee and Adam Driver at last night’s world premiere of true-life crime drama BlacKkKlansman. Focus Features will release the film in August and Universal distributes internationally.
Mirovision whips up Wind, Brothers, Sooni South Korea’s Mirovision has reported an enthusiastic response to its Cannes sales slate, led by Kwak Jae-yong’s Japanese fantasy Colors Of Wind, action-noir Brothers In Heaven and supernatural thriller Sooni: The Executioner’s Daughter.
Mirovision has struck a deal with Jetsen Huashi for mainland China rights to Colors Of Wind, Brothers In Heaven and Mermaid Unlimited. Brothers In Heaven and Sooni: The Executioner’s Daughter have gone to Viswaas for India, Singapore
Shoplifters, page 4
REVIEWS Shoplifters Hirokazu Kore-eda’s family portrait shows deft command of tone » Page 4
Happy As Lazzaro Alice Rohrwacher serves a delirious brew of modernism and fabulism » Page 4
FEATURE Facts of life Today’s Doc Day conference examines a shifting landscape » Page 12
Final print daily This is Screen’s final print edition for Cannes 2018. For continued coverage, see ScreenDaily.com
True Colours’ Euforia pleases, Freezer gets warm welcome
BY JEREMY KAY
Buyers have been snapping up buzzy Directors’ Fortnight opener Birds Of Passage from Ciro Guerra and Cristina Gallego, with Films Boutique reporting a slew of key territory deals here in Cannes. The Berlin-based sales agent has l i c e n s e d r i g h t s t o Fra n c e (Diaphana), the UK (Curzon), Germany and Austria (MFA), Italy (Academy Two), Spain (BTeam Pictures), Benelux (September Film), Portugal (Alambique), Poland (Against Gravity), Switzerland (Trigon) and China (DDDream). Australia, Asia, Scandinavia, Brazil and Argentina are in negotiation. The Orchard holds North American rights to the drama, which is about the origins of the drug trade in Colombia. It is Guerra’s follow-up to his 2015 Directors’ Fortnight hit and foreign-language Oscar nominee Embrace Of The Serpent.
The recent arrival of Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy as president is seen as heralding a new era for the festival, which just announced an expanded five-day industry programme for the coming edition. Also re-entering the circuit this year is Marrakech International Film Festival, which is expected to relaunch in December under new management after a one-year hiatus. Further details are due imminently.
TODAY
and Malaysia, while MovieCloud responded to packed screenings for the UK psychological thriller Retreat and US crime-horror Strawberry Flavored Plastic, picking up both films for Taiwan. Jeremy Kay
Put Grandma In The Freezer (Metti La Nonna In Freezer) has sparked robust trade. The film has been picked up for Greece (Odeon), Taiwan (AV Jet) and China (Jetsen Huashi). Adso acquired Spanish rights to another Italian box-office hit, Carlo Verdone’s Blessed Madness, which grossed $9.8m (¤8.2m) locally. Chinese distributor Wing Sight has signed a deal for both Christian Marazziti’s comedy Disconnected, while its Catalan comedy-drama Distances has gone to Israel (New Cinema), Hungary (Circo Film) and China (Dreamax). The latter also bought the 2017 surprise hit Like A Cat On A Highway and Sergio Castellitto comedy The Handyman.
Girls Of The Sun is hot ticket BY MELANIE GOODFELLOW
French sales company Elle Driver has unveiled a raft of deals on Eva Husson’s war film Girls Of The Sun following its premiere in Competition in Cannes. The Palme d’Or contender has sold to France and Germany (Wild Bunch), Latin America (California), Italy (BIM), Benelux (Cinéart), Japan (Comstock Group), the Middle East (Jaguar Film) and China (Time-In-Portrait Entertainment). Deals also closed in Spain (Vertigo Films), Scandinavia (AB Svensk), Switzerland (Praesens),
South Korea (The Coup Corporation), former Yugoslavia (Dexin Film), Australia (Vendetta Films), Portugal (Midas Filmes) and the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Film Europe Media Company). Altitude Film Distribution previously acquired UK rights. “The film prompted an extraordinary response from the audience with an astonishingly long standing ovation from the public… it has also generated debate, especially between conservative critics versus the audience,” said Elle Driver chief Adeline Fontan Tessaur.
NEWS
Hubert Boesl
CANNES BRIEFS
Lars von Trier returned to the Croisette yesterday for the world premiere of his Out of Competition film The House That Jack Built, which stars Matt Dillon as a serial killer. The Danish filmmaker, who won the Palme d’Or in 2000 for Dancer In The Dark, was banned from the festival seven years ago after joking at the Melancholia press conference that he was a Nazi and claiming to understand Hitler.
Octopus to swim again Luis Murillo is writing an ArgentinaSpain-New Zealand TV and feature remake of 1980s Argentinian miniseres The Black Octopus (El Pulpo Negro). The project was announced at the Blood Window Showcase at the Cannes market and is supported by Sitges.
Strand stamps Postcards
Evolutionary goes to war Evolutionary Films has acquired UK distribution and international sales rights to First World War film Eleven. Roy Rivett from fledgling UK production outfit Shaking The Tree Productions produced, and Rock Salt directed from his screenplay. The film is being lined up for a November release to mark the centenary of the end of the war.
Gaze Coin has Dream Gaze Coin CEO Jonny Peters is in the Cannes NEXT market touting DreamCoin, a blockchain token that allows VR headset users to buy frames in his VR adventure feature and series Dream Channel.
Matt Dillon and Lars von Trier at yesterday’s press call
Parisian institute to revive Arab showcase BY MELANIE GOODFELLOW
Paris’s Institute of the Arab World is to revive its festival activities this June with the launch of the Arab Film Festival, to be presided over by Palestinian actress and director Hiam Abbass. The event will present some 70 films hailing from the Arab world across all genres. A competitive feature line-up will showcase 13 recent titles from the Arab world, including Palestinian director Muayad Alayan’s The Reports On Sarah And Saleem, which premiered to critical acclaim at Rotterdam, as well as
NYAFF honours Lam BY JEREMY KAY
The 17th New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) will award Hong Kong’s Dante Lam the Daniel A Craft award for excellence in action cinema. The festival runs from June 29-July 15. Lam and his producer Candy Leung will attend NYAFF, which will host a tribute; his latest action thriller, Operation Red Sea, will screen. The film is the secondhighest grossing Chinese-language film of all time at China’s box office, having grossed approximately $575m (RMB3.65bn) since its February launch. The festival will also host a 10th anniversary 35mm screening of
Lam’s crime drama The Beast Stalker which, like Operation Red Sea, was produced by Hong Kong’s Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP). NYAFF executive director Samuel Jamier said: “Hong Kong action movies changed world cinema. Not only has Dante Lam pushed the boundaries of the genre, but he has also reinvented the crime drama and the war movie in the past decade. We are awarding him in the year he conquered the box office in China whilst maintaining his integrity as an auteur director.” The festival is co-presented by Film Society of Lincoln Center and Subway Cinema Inc.
2 Screen International at Cannes May 15, 2018
Cannes titles My Favorite Fabric by Syrian filmmaker Gaya Jiji, and Sofia by Meryem Benm’Barek. The jury will feature Moroccan director and actor Faouzi Bensaidi, Saudi actress Fatima AlBanawi, and Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy. There will also be tributes to Lebanese cinema pioneer Jean Chamoun with a screening of his 2000 feature L’Ombre De La Ville, and Algerian director and actor Mahmoud Zemmouri. Both filmmakers died in 2017. Celebrating Saudi Arabia’s
recent decision to lift its 30-year ban on cinema, the festival will also include a focus on local cinema. It will showcase a selection of mainly short films including Mohammed Alholayyil’s 300km and Nada AlMojadedi’s Zaina’s Cake. Full details of the festival will be unveiled at the Lebanese pavilion today. Paris’s respected Institute of the Arab World has always paid close attention to cinema and held the influential Biennale des Cinéma Arabes between 1992 and 2006.
BY BEN DALTON
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has announced a celebration of Scotland for its 72nd edition, celebrating talent and locations through features, shorts, docs, animations and events. The line-up includes comedy horror-musical Anna And The Apocalypse, shot largely in and around Glasgow, and thriller Calibre starring Jack Lowden, set and filmed in the Highlands. Kevin Macdonald’s Whitney will screen, as will Almost Fashionable: A Film About Travis, directed by Travis frontman Fran Healy with the band in attendance. EIFF honourary patron Mark Cousins will introduce his recent films, The Eyes Of Orson Welles and Storm In My Heart. As previously announced, Puzzle, starring Kelly Macdonald, and Rob Brydon comedy Swimming With Men will bookend the festival, which runs from June 20 to July 1. EIFF artistic director Mark Adams said: “The festival’s programme always helps shine the light on Scottish themes, performances and filmmakers, and I’m thrilled that once again we can celebrate this high level of craftsmanship in past and present Scottish work in our 72nd year.” The full programme will be announced on May 23.
F LO IRS OK T
Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to Steve McLean’s Postcards From London, about a teenager who leaves his insular hometown and falls in with a group of elite rent boys. The Bureau Sales handles world sales on the title here.
Edinburgh vows to wow in 72nd edition
Screen International can unveil a first look at Harry Michell’s Ilkley, which stars Roger Allam, Derek Jacobi, Anna Maxwell Martin and Harry Melling. The comedy follows an assassination plot at a UK literary festival. Independent is showing footage here in Cannes. Helen Simmons produced and Screen Yorkshire, Ivy Gate Films and Umedia are financing. Tom Grater
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REVIEWS
» Shoplifters p4 » Happy As Lazzaro p4 » Sink Or Swim p6
» Murder Me, Monster p6 » Los Silencios p10 » Sir p8 » Diamantino p10 » Buy Me A Gun p8
Reviews edited by Fionnuala Halligan finn.halligan@screendaily.com
Shoplifters Reviewed by Lee Marshall
COMPETITION
What makes a family a family? That’s the question at the core of prolific auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest drama, which neatly wrong-foots the audience as it progresses. At first, it seems to be a bittersweet fable, a contemporary Japanese update of It’s A Wonderful Life. But as the layers of the story about an alternative family living on its wits are peeled back, we are confronted with a steely critique of society’s (and humanity’s) failings — one not seen with this level of clarity in the director’s work since his quietly devastating 2004 Nobody Knows. Some credit must go to the stellar casting and performances. It is difficult to single out one of the six actors in this unusual family unit as it is a true ensemble display. But Kore-eda’s deft command of tone is a key factor in a film that may turn out to be one of his most exportable. Kore-eda’s economy of means comes through in the film’s captivating first five minutes, where we see father Osamu (Lily Franky) and his young teenage son Shota (Kairi Jyo), entering a supermarket and shoplifting like seasoned pros, each covering for the other. Returning home on this cold night, they find a hungry girl called Juri (Miyu Sasaki), alone on the balcony of a ground-floor apartment, and invite her back to eat in the home they share with grandma Hatsue (veteran Kilin Kiki), Osamu’s younger street-smart partner Noboyu (Sakura Ando), and the latter’s apparent half-sister Aki (Mayu Matsuoka), who turns out to be a sex-worker in a peep show club. Somehow, Juri ends up staying, and when they discover the bruises and scars on her arms, it seems natural for this odd family to keep the adorable girl in a cluttered house where love, support and gluten cake (Juri’s favourite food) are in plentiful supply, and nobody needs to go to school. The impulse to give a vulnerable child a better life is so strong, and Juri’s gradual embrace of her new brother, mother, father, aunt and granny so affecting, that we follow the lead of her adopted family and momentarily put aside the unease that she has been kidnapped. By the end, though, we realise that we have been bamboozled into smiling most of the way through a heartbreaking film.
SCREEN SCORE
★★★★
Jap. 2018. 121mins Director/screenplay/ editing Hirokazu Kore-eda Production companies Aoi Pro, Gaga Corporation, Fuji Television Network International sales Wild Bunch, ediederix@ wildbunch.eu Producers Kaoru Matsuzaki, Akihiko Yose, Hijiri Taguchi Production design Keiko Mitsumatsu Cinematography Ryuto Kondo Music Haruomi Hosono Main cast Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Kilin Kiki, Kairi Jyo, Miyu Sasaki
Happy As Lazzaro Reviewed by Jonathan Romney Italian rural realism with occasional magical inflexions may have lost two of its great exponents recently with the deaths of Ermanno Olmi and Vittorio Taviani, but Alice Rohrwacher proved herself a worthy inheritor with second feature The Wonders in 2014. That film had its eccentric tendencies, but it looks like rigorous naturalism compared to the delirious brew of modernism, folktale and fabulist invention seen in Happy As Lazzaro (Lazzaro Felice). At first, we think we’re in familiar folkloric territory as a young man serenades his beloved in the countryside at night. Bit by bit, however, things become less clear. We are definitely in the present day, as mobile phones, headphones and hip-hop reveal, but these people are living in another era. There are 26 inhabitants of various ages crammed into one house in a tiny village symbolically named Inviolata, all toiling to harvest tobacco for a haughty Marchesa (Nicoletta Braschi) who lives in a nearby mansion. It turns out the families on her estate are essentially modern-day serfs or sharecroppers, forever in debt to their feudal exploiter, but blithely unaware of it. Something of an outsider within the community is a gentle, childlike, otherworldly young man named Lazzaro (Adriano Tardiolo), whom everyone fondly tolerates and occasionally exploits. He ends up forming a bond with Marchesa’s spoilt, foppish son Tancredi (Tomasso Ragno), who mounts a fake kidnap plot to get back at his mother. It misfires, and baffled police round-up the villagers and take them to, supposedly, a better life. It would be a shame to reveal the audacious change of register that follows, dominating the film’s second half. What started as eccentric, seemingly nostalgic realism shifts into a dreamlike, satirically inflected mode with echoes of Fellini’s La Strada and early Pasolini, in both its humour and its bleakness. Shot beautifully on Super 16, the film, with its richly textured images, does feel at times like a retrieved and rather miraculous relic from a lost era of cinema. Although it’s fair to say it’s also very much of its own moment.
SCREEN SCORE
4 Screen International at Cannes May 15, 2018
COMPETITION It-Fr-Ger-Switz. 2018. 126mins Director/screenplay Alice Rohrwacher Production companies Tempesta, Rai Cinema International sales The Match Factory, info@matchfactory.de Producer Carlo CrestoDina Production design Emita Frigato Editing Nelly Quettier Cinematography Hélene Louvart Music Piero Crucitti Main cast Adriano Tardiolo, Agnese Graziani, Alba Rohrwacher, Luca Chikovani, Tommaso Ragno, Sergi Lopez, Natalino Balasso, David Bennent, Nicoletta Braschi
★★★★ www.screendaily.com
REVIEWS
Murder Me, Monster Reviewed by Allan Hunter
Sink Or Swim Reviewed by Allan Hunter You wait ages for an all-male synchronised swimming comedy and then two come along at once. Gilles Lellouche dives in first with Sink Or Swim (Le Grand Bain), a surefooted crowdpleaser with enough warmth and the committed talents of a stellar ensemble cast to fend off any sense of predictability. It should make commercial waves on its local release later this year and travel well. The Full Monty appears to have been the inspiration for both Lellouche and the forthcoming UK effort Swimming With Men. There is a similar sense of emasculated, middleaged men tackling their demons by committing to the most unlikely of public acts. Sink Or Swim does not cut quite so deeply but has a likeable charm and sneaks up on the viewer in its more reflective, emotional moments. Bertrand (Mathieu Amalric) is unemployed, depressed and sending his days playing Candy Crush when he spots a sign seeking new members for an all-male team of synchronised swimmers. Amateurs are welcome, which is just as well given that the current members are neither very synchronised nor especially professional. Under the indulgent tutelage of coach Delphine (Virginie Efira), the team starts to train regularly and the sessions in the pool prove as valuable as the time spent bonding in the pub or relaxing in the sauna. Every one of them has a problem of some kind, from businessman Marcus (Benoit Poelvoorde) teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, to glowering uptight Laurent (Guillaume Canet) and ageing rocker Simon (Jean-Hugues Anglade). There is nothing too surprising about how Sink Or Swim unfolds as the men bicker, develop a sense of solidarity and regain self-respect from their involvement in the group and a reckless decision to compete in the World Championships. There are training montages, fights, foolishness and sentimental life lessons along the way. The music choices, including Olivia Newton-John’s ‘Physical’, are all a little on the nose and the film feels overlong as it nudges the two-hour mark. But Sink Or Swim works because of a screenplay with some genuinely funny moments and a jaunty, confident approach from Lellouche that displays his sure comic timing and faith in the performers. Anglade is rather touching as a gentle man still hoping to impress his daughter, and it is a delight to see Amalric’s Bertrand slowly coming back to life and seizing his moment.
6 Screen International at Cannes May 15, 2018
OUT OF COMPETITION Fr-Bel. 2018. 122mins Director Gilles Lellouche Production company Tresor Films, Chi-Fou-Mi Productions International sales Studiocanal, anne.cherel@ studiocanal.com Producers Alain Attal, Patrick Quinet, Hugo Sélignac Screenplay Ahmed Hamidi, Gilles Lellouche, Julien Lambroschini Production design Florian Sanson Editing Simon Jacquet Cinematography Laurent Tangy Music Jon Brion Main cast Mathieu Amalric, Guillaume Canet, Benoit Poelvoorde, JeanHugues Anglade, Virginie Efira
Alejandro Fadel (Carancho, Los Salvajes) wades into murky waters with Murder Me, Monster (Muere, Monstruo, Muere), a gory creature feature from the fantasy realms of Guillermo del Toro with a nod to David Lynch along the way. Alternately intriguing, stomach-turning and mystifying, it has cult potential within a Midnight Madness-style genre audience seeking more offbeat fare. High in the Andes mountains, a woman stumbles into view. Her throat has been cut and is starting to gape open as she places a hand on the back of her head to prevent it detaching completely. Her efforts are wasted as she becomes the first victim in a series of murders in which heads are savagely torn from bodies. The investigation falls to rural police officer Cruz (Victor Lopez), and suspicion eventually falls on local resident David (Esteban Bigliardi). David claims to hear voices. Certain phrases and images tend to make him feel more aggressive. He believes that a monster is using telepathy to communicate through him. Are these the ravings of an unhinged mind or is there really a hideous monster on the loose in the mountains? Fadel keeps you wanting to discover the answer as he builds suspense and fills in the eccentric character details that give the film its distinctive flavour. Cruz is a lugubrious figure with a reputation for nifty dance moves, while his deadpan superior has a tendency to pronounce cynical judgment on the more fanciful theories about what might be happening. The oddness of the individuals and the theories suggest some affinities with Twin Peaks. Cinematographers Manuel Rebella and Julian Apezteguia add to the nightmare quality of the story, where thick shadows and tinted hues promote the sense of a remote, oppressive area where evil could easily set up home. There is also some impressive work from a makeup and special-effects team asked to conjure up severed heads, grisly wounds, green gloop oozing from decaying bodies and (eventually) a creature that is both familiar and unusual, B-movie cheesy and ferocious. In Fadel’s vision of the world it appears that evil can infect anyone. That seems to be one of the morals of a story that is never entirely coherent nor completely satisfying. The beginning may be striking but the ending leaves you with the feeling there was less here than first met the eye.
UN CERTAIN REGARD Arg. 2018. 106mins Director/screenplay Alejandro Fadel Production companies La Union De Los Rios, Rouge International International sales The Match Factory, info@matchfactory.de Producers Fernando Brom, Benjamin Delaux, Alejandro Fadel, JeanRaymond Garcia, Julie Gayet, Edouard Lacoste, Agustina Llambi Campbell, Antoun Sehnaoui, Dominga Sotomayor, Nadia Turincev Production design Laura Caligiuri Editing Andres P Estrada Cinematography Manuel Rebella, Julian Apezteguia Main cast Victor Lopez, Esteban Bigliardi, Tania Casciani, Stéphane Rideau
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CRISTINA CAVALIERE International Sales Manager cristina.cavaliere@rai.it Mob. +39 333 44 81 036
PREMIERE: WED, 16TH MAY, 10.00 PM, LUMIERE OFFICIAL: THU, 17TH MAY, 08.30 AM, LUMIERE OFFICIAL: THU, 17TH MAY, 03.00 PM, LUMIERE
REVIEWS
Buy Me A Gun Reviewed by Sarah Ward
Sir Reviewed by Wendy Ide CRITICS' WEEK
Rohena Gera’s fiction feature debut tentatively explores the forbidden attraction between Ratna (Tillotama Shome), a widowed maid, and her employer Ashwin (Vivek Gomber), a wealthy Mumbai bachelor reeling from the breakdown of his engagement. The premise could be soapy but the film combines an understated sweetness with a certain naivety — perhaps a wilfully turned blind eye — when it comes to this uneasy power dynamic. The divisions between class in contemporary India are portrayed as being as rigid and impermeable as those between castes; thus for local and diaspora audiences the chastely handled hint of attraction is perhaps a more radical and controversial plot device than it will appear to international audiences. Sir should, however, find plenty of further interest on the festival circuit, particularly those focused on Asian cinema. Theatrical releases are not out of the question, but widespread appeal will depend on astute marketing. Gera is no stranger to the romantic landscape of modern India, having previously directed What’s Love Got To Do With It?, a feature-length documentary about arranged marriage. Despite the mainly Mumbai setting, Sir is low key Hindi-indie in approach rather than Bollywood brash. Of the two worlds depicted, Gera seems more relaxed exploring the easy camaraderie of Ratna and her fellow domestics than in Ashwin’s glitzy society circle, where both the dialogue and the plot is more heavy-handed. Formerly an aspiring novelist living in New York, Ashwin returned to his family when his brother was taken ill, and now works for the family real-estate business. Meanwhile, Ratna has aspirations beyond a life of servitude. She plans to start her own business as a tailor and is working to pay for her younger sister’s education. Both characters are more than just the sum of their social and financial standing. Where Sir struggles is convincingly bringing them together. Ratna is a model maid, and Ashwin only takes notice of her when she tells him what he wants to hear: that life will get better after his break-up, and that he should finish his half-written novel. It is hard not to question him as a character when the abuse of power klaxon sounds with every stolen glance between them. Still, thanks to the disarming performance from Shome, the audience is likely to be just as smitten with Ratna as Ashwin is.
8 Screen International at Cannes May 15, 2018
India-Fr. 2018. 90mins Director/screenplay Rohena Gera Production companies Inkpot Films Private International sales mk2 Films, ola.byszuk@ mk2.com Producer Brice Poisson Production design Parul Sondh Editing Jacques Comets Cinematography Dominique Colin Music Pierre Aviat Main cast Tillotama Shome, Vivek Gomber, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Rahul Vohra, Ahmareen Anjum
Set in Mexico at an undisclosed date, Buy Me A Gun takes place in a world where women are largely absent, children are frequently abducted and the cartels control everything. It is writer/director/producer Julio Hernandez Cordon’s vision of a grim future, as well as his nod to several childhood classics. Peter Pan may not have wanted to grow up, but his story has — and that the film features a group of literally lost boys, as well as a realm overseen by a powerful captain, does not evade notice. Nor does naming his young protagonist Huck (Matilde Hernandez Guinea, who convincingly bears the movie’s emotional weight on her shoulders). Premiering in Directors’ Fortnight, Buy Me A Gun’s deft tonal balancing act is just one element that should endear the movie to viewers — and should secure further attention on the festival circuit. The commonality of dystopian stories, not to mention updated takes on beloved classics, might dampen the feature’s broader prospects, but this is a finely judged piece that makes clever use of its set-up. That all is not right is established early, not just from scene-setting text on screen or glimpses of women and children in cages, but in the evident disconnect between Huck’s perception and her reality. With her age still in single digits, she speaks of her father Rogelio’s (Rogelio Sosa) belief in luck that he can pass on to her. That’s wishful thinking as their unfavourable plight tending to a rundown baseball field used by local heavies shows. The pair are fortunate to remain together, with Huck’s mother and sister taken captive by the local capo (Sostenes Rojas), but theirs is a life of survival, not happiness. Rogelio’s drug addiction leaves the duo in ever-increasing debt to the cartel and, in a perilous attempt to keep herself safe, Huck is forced to pretend she is a boy. Nicolas Wong’s astute cinematography helps maintain the balance between sombre and hopeful — as the feature reaches its climax, aerial shots put everyone in their appointed place but handheld roves bring energy and immediacy. Indeed, small touches stand out, whether repurposing toys to suit the bleak context, navigating Huck through a traumatic scene in a striking way, or rendering one character with more complexity and empathy than expected. Cordon’s affecting dystopian tale strikes close to home, and it is to his credit that this potent, poignant coming-of-age tale is ultimately filled with resilience.
DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT Mex-Col. 2018. 84mins. Director/screenplay Julio Hernandez Cordon Production companies Burning Blue, Woo Films International sales Films Boutique, contact@ filmsboutique.com Producer Rafael Ley, Maria Jose Cordova, Rodrigo S Gonzalez, Diana Bustamante, Jorge Forero, Julio Hernandez Cordon Production design Ivonne Fuentes Editing Lenz Mauricio Claure Cinematography Nicolas Wong Music Alberto Torres Main cast Matilde Hernandez Guinea, Rogelio Sosa, Sostenes Rojas
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FILM IN SCOTLAND FOR THE PERFECT LOCATION
Meet us at the UK Film Centre — Friday 11 to Thursday 17 May at Pavilion 117 in the International Village Riviera. Open daily from 9AM–6PM.
www.creativescotlandlocations.com E locations@creativescotland.com T +44 (0) 141 302 1724 The Clyde Arc, also known as the Squinty Bridge, is lit up as night falls with STV and BBC offices in the background and the lights reflecting on the River Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland Photo: Tony Clerkson/ Scottish Viewpoint
REVIEWS
Diamantino Reviewed by Allan Hunter
Los Silencios Reviewed by Wendy Ide A heady, waking-dream sensibility co-exists with a prosaic naturalism in much the same way that the ghosts of those lost in the conflict in Colombia walk among the living in this gentle but affecting drama from Beatriz Seigner. An understated portrait of a family adjusting to new circumstances after being forced to flee violence, this is not a film that forcefully makes its points. But although it is in some ways slight, much of Los Silencios’s ultimate power is tied to its simplicity. The second feature from Brazilian director Seigner, this is a tonal departure from her India-set debut Bollywood Dream, but there is still a sense that Asian cinema has again provided a touchstone. The slow-burning spirituality of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s work, specifically Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, is an obvious comparison. As such, this is a film that could find a receptive audience within festivals, particularly those that focus on the cinema of South America. Amparo (Marleyda Soto) and her two children Nuria (Maria Paula Tabares Pena) and Fabio (Adolfo Savinino) arrive by night to an island. Fleeing violence, they seek refuge with Amparo’s aunt, in a community that has learned to live with the ebb and flow of the Amazon river that regularly floods its homes. Amparo’s Brazilian husband, Adao (Enrique Diaz) is missing. But then, suddenly, he reappears in the family’s new home. The film is notable for its location. The setting is a real island, and many of the supporting cast are non-professional actors and residents of this curious community playing themselves. The village, precariously balanced on stilts, is a neat metaphor for the spirits of the dead who loiter, not alive but not quite ready to pass over. The silence of the title is manifested in the heart of Amparo’s family. Her daughter never speaks, and at first we assume that she has been muted by some unspecified trauma, but then it becomes clear there is something else at play. There is also silence in the unspoken sadness that pervades a community in which many have lost loved ones — the film’s strongest scene gives both the survivors and the dead the chance to finally vocalise their experiences. The fact that many of the actors in the scene lived through the Colombian conflict gives an added resonance.
10 Screen International at Cannes May 15, 2018
DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT Bra-Col-Fr. 2018. 88mins Director/screenplay Beatriz Seigner Production companies Miriade Filmes, Enquadramento Producoes, Ciné-Sud Promotion, Diafragma International sales Pyramide International, avalent@pyramidfilms. com Producers Beatriz Seigner, Leonardo Mecchi, Thierry Lenouvel, Daniel Garcia Production design Marcela Gomez Editing Renata Maria, Jacques Comets Cinematography Sofia Oggioni Music Nascuy Linares Main cast Marleyda Soto, Enrique Diaz, Maria Paula Tabares Pena, Adolfo Savinino
Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt have bitten off more than they could ever hope to chew with their debut feature Diamantino. The ridiculous plight of a gormless world-class footballer serves as the basis for a chaotic, madcap comedy in which strident satire does battle with strained whimsicality. Diamantino, played by the very Ronaldo-esque Carloto Cotta, is a beloved national icon in Portugal. Considered the best football player on the planet, he is a poet on the pitch. Haring up the stadium, he sees himself accompanied by large, fluffy puppies trailing clouds of candycloud dust. On the field, he is invincible until a fatal error at the 2018 World Cup final and the death of his father send him hurtling towards an existential crisis. Diamantino has the potential of being like Jean Dujardin in creations like Brice De Nice or 0SS117. Yet Abrantes and Schmidt pitch him into a hectic, mind-boggling plot. The search for redemption involves adopting a refugee and becoming a dupe of a neo-fascist organisation intent on making Portugal great again as it prepares to vote on leaving the European Union. There are some one-liners that hit their target and stray laughs among the silliness, but much of what transpires is tiresome. Diamantino is at the mercy of twin sisters who act like pantomime meanies and whose every hysterical appearance becomes an ordeal. Desperate to nail the footballing icon for financial misconduct, female undercover government agent Aisha (Cleo Tavares) poses as male Mozambique refugee Rahim, and is adopted by Diamantino as the child he has always wanted. Nobody in the household pauses to question the age or femininity of this person. This whole set-up is problematic for her lesbian lover and colleague who has posed as a Catholic nun in charge of an orphanage. That’s before we stray into Austin Powers territory with a diabolical plot to create an unbeatable national team by cloning Diamantino. It goes on. The scattershot approach often feels as juvenile as the central character and the film overstays its welcome. You have to admire the sheer giddy enthusiasm of filmmaking friends who are fizzing with ideas and able to make a modest budget stretch a long way; Diamantino has a certain visual allure. Yet you also long for them to put all those energies into a more focused, far funnier project.
CRITICS’ WEEK Port-Fr-Bra. 2018. 92mins Directors/screenplay Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt Production companies Les Films Du Bélier, Maria & Mayer International sales Charades, carole@ charades.eu Producers Justin Taurand, Maria Joao Mayer, Daniel van Hoogstraten Production design Bruno Duarte Editing Raphaelle Martin Holger, Gabriel Abrantes, Daniel Schmidt Cinematography Charles Ackley Anderson Music Ulysse Klotz, Adriana Holtz Main cast Carloto Cotta, Cleo Tavares, Anabela Moreira
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Hannover presents two impressive features for Cannes Market Screenings! Worldwide Rights Available. World Premiere Screening is Wed., May 16, Palais K at 18:00 THE RIOT ACT is an epic period-thriller based on a true story from 1901. The film stars Brett Cullen (Dark Knight Rises) and Lauren Sweetser (Winter's Bone), and marks an impressive debut from a promising new director, Devon Parks.
In person,
Lauren Sweetser and
Devon Parks. https://www.facebook.com/theriotactmovie/
Screening is Tues., May 15, Palais K at 18:00 Film legend Brooke Shields is joined by Game-of-Thrones villain Iwan Rheon and rising star Sterling Jerins in the critically praised DAISY WINTERS (opened on 100+ theatres in the USA).
Title Star
Sterling Jerins and producer
Jane Badler-Hains ("V") will be in attendance.
www.DaisyWintersMovie.com For More Information contact:
Eric Parkinson HANNOVER HOUSE +1-818-481-5277 Eric@HannoverHouse.com www.hannoverhouse.com
IN FOCUS DOC DAY
The facts of life As Screen International partners on the Marché du Film’s annual Doc Day conference, documentary experts open up about the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. Wendy Mitchell reports
T
he documentary world has been rocked by big changes in recent years. These are either exciting opportunities or unsettling disruptions depending on where you sit: the rise of platforms, the shrinking of traditional TV slots, censorship in shifting political climates, as well as changing budgets and audience viewing habits. Some of that change has made documentaries more popular than ever. “There is an appetite and audiences for documentaries like never before,” says Simon Chinn, Oscar-winning producer and co-founder of London and Los Angeles-based Lightbox, which has Kevin Macdonald’s Whitney premiering in Cannes. “The once dreaded ‘D word’ is no longer dirty... but cool. “Netflix has in many ways helped spawn an entirely new climate for content,” Chinn continues, “and premium documentary has become an absolutely viable commercial category in this climate in a way it never has before.” Netflix has had a hugely transformative effect on documentary filmmaking in the past five years. The SVoD giant is paying good money to commission documentary features and series, or to acquire finished projects. But where one hand giveth, the other taketh away, as Chinn warns: “The flip-side of the rise of Netflix and some of these other global buyers is the way their existence chips away at the theatrical audience for documentary, which has steadily been building over the past 15 years or so. Now Netflix offers filmmakers whose films might have benefited from a theatrical release, with everything that can bring, an almost irresistible alternative.” Chinn looks back at his 2013 Oscar winner, Malik Bendjelloul’s Searching For Sugar Man, and wonders “what would have happened had it been acquired by an SVoD platform rather than nurtured to theatrical success by passionate distributors?” Netflix likes a certain kind of film: the most popular at the moment are one-off biographical portraits (The Rachel Divide and What Happened, Miss Simone?) or true-crime series (Making A Murderer and Wild Wild Country). Filmmaker Lucy Walker, whose features include Devil’s Playground, The Crash Reel and the Oscar-nominated Waste Land, is frustrated with being told that every idea
12 Screen International at Cannes May 15, 2018
Whitney
would benefit from being a series just because they are in vogue. “Streaming services are making documentaries accessible to audiences, which is awesome,” she says. “But with the rise of the docu-series, the challenge is to keep the content as rich and riveting as for shorter or single pieces. I hate diluted, bloated, overlong work — like everyone else.” Market moves New players and financiers have shaken up budgets in some ways that are not always sustainable or realistic. This can be good for storytellers to make a living right now, as David Courier, senior programmer at Sundance, explains. “Given the proliferation of documentary series coming from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, not to mention television opportunities from traditional outlets such as HBO, Showtime, CNN, ESPN, BBC, PBS, etc, documentary filmmakers who have notoriously struggled to make ends meet now have the opportunity to make a living doing what they love to a degree that they never had before,” he says. Josh Braun of New York-based Submarine, (Right) Making A Murderer
one of the world’s top sellers of documentaries who has worked with films including Chasing Ice, Wild Wild Country, Blackfish and 20 Feet From Stardom, says that budgeting can be a challenge, especially if a big Netflix deal is not likely, or indeed is not the ultimate goal. “There is a growing distance between average doc budgets and average doc sales,” he says. “If you raise $1.5m for your film and the film sells for $2m, everyone will be celebrating but those higher numbers are becoming less likely. If your investors have lost a lot of money, they may not want to keep supporting you as a filmmaker.” Of course, he notes, some films will have big budgets, but a budget needs to be realistic, and working with a sales company at the early stages can help identify the potential market. The market has shifted as theatrical distributors become more risk averse in a tough climate, and traditional broadcasters, especially the public service broadcasters, are not investing in documentary the way they did in earlier decades. Signe Byrge Sorensen of
‘There are increasing numbers of docs that compete with the very best drama’ Signe Byrge Sorensen, Final Cut For Real
Denmark’s Final Cut For Real (The Act Of Killing, The Distant Barking Of Dogs) says: “We are in the middle of the old public service TV system changing drastically and the rapid growth of the attention economy, where our attention as consumers is being bought and sold faster and in more ways than we can keep track of. These tendencies challenge both our finance structures and our sales, marketing and distribution structures.” One solution to the shifting landscape, she says, is “to diversify our sources of finance. We take advantage of the VoD services, also for our back catalogue. We work with virtual reality in order to experiment with storytelling as a universe rather than [only] a linear process.” SVoD platforms are not, and should not be, the only place where quality »
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IN FOCUS DOC DAY
DOC MAKERS EXPERT ADVICE
Make it work Documentary experts offer advice on how to work smarter in the new climate “The craft and language of documentary storytelling has evolved so much in recent years, so there are now increasing numbers of docs that compete with the very best drama. The more that continues, the more audiences for docs will grow. This is obviously very good news for non-fiction content producers. Now is the time to come up with great ideas and execute them brilliantly.”
The Rape Of Recy Taylor
‘The documentarian’s pursuit of making sense of reality is needed now more than ever’ Elhum Shakerifar, Hakawati
content can connect to audiences. Audience engagement for cinema releases in the fractured media landscape is crucial, says Eve Gabereau, founder and CEO of Modern Films, a new London-based, female-led film production, distribution and event cinema company that is launching with the UK release of The Rape Of Recy Taylor. “It is vital for producers and distributors to make and/or acquire films they think will connect with audiences, then ensure they are showcased in a befitting forum,” says Gabereau. “As people are content-rich with stretched time and limited attention spans, content creators need to think about building audience interest through awareness and visibility.” Journalists and festivals have a special role to play in developing audiences for documentaries, she adds. Another area of opportunity to reach new audiences is to tell stories that better reflect their lives. Lisa Marie Russo, film fund executive at Doc Society (formerly Britdoc), is excited about the opportunity “to expand the range of voices and stories through financiers backing diverse filmmakers from a range of backgrounds — BAME, LGBTQ, mixed ability and talent from lower socio-economic backgrounds. We all benefit by embracing diversity in front of and behind the camera.” Thom Powers, documentary programmer for Toronto International Film Festival and DOC NYC, adds: “While Netflix and other streaming platforms have been a huge factor for Englishlanguage docs, filmmakers working in
14 Screen International at Cannes May 15, 2018
Simon Chinn, co-founder, Lightbox
other territories haven’t experienced those benefits as significantly. What can be done to foster a more robust marketplace for those works?” Speaking up Protecting the storyteller will become even more important in the future. “We are in a unique political climate where censorship is rampant in totalitarian states and even in the so-called ‘free world’ we’re experiencing an unprecedented attack on our free press, a chipping away at our freedom of expression in general and free speech in particular,” says Courier. “Perhaps more so than ever, we need our brave documentary voices to speak their truth.” Elhum Shakerifar, producer at London-based Hakawati, says in addition to the political landscape, the world’s
‘Creators need to think about building audience interest through awareness and visibility’ Eve Gabereau, Modern Films
obsession with soundbite-sized information and celebrity culture means there “is a risk to the ecosystem of documentary storytelling, particularly observational documentary”. She adds: “The documentarian’s pursuit of making sense of reality is needed now more than ever.” How to get those voices heard? “The smartest thing you can do as a producer is to nurture relationships with partners who are willing to take a risk with you to tell the stories that aren’t being told.” Any struggles are worth it. “We stick to making long-form, warm, humane artistic documentaries,” says Final Cut For Real’s Byrge Sorensen, “because we believe the audiences need deeply researched, artistically strong and hearts felt work more than ever.” n
“A film should have a realistic budget — that doesn’t always mean a low budget. Certain films should definitely have big budgets but the key is that the budget is in proportion to what the film is.” Josh Braun, co-president, Submarine
“Producers and distributors can focus on specific target markets for their films and reach them almost directly and over time. Quality and impact campaigning are key to a documentary’s success. Preview programmes and Q&As provide invaluable positioning that should endure across other viewing platforms.” Eve Gabereau, founder of new UK distributor Modern Films
“We can innovate by looking for funding partnerships to work alongside traditional financing. Charities, foundations, brands, music labels, film archives and crowdsourcing are some examples. Building in audience engagement and impact strategies from the development stage can help films identify, reach and grow their target audiences.” Lisa Marie Russo, film fund executive, Doc Society
“There are more platforms than ever before to support high-quality doc making. However, the number of films is also growing exponentially. Probably fewer than 10% of the docs I see submitted to TIFF are going to benefit from the likes of Netflix and Amazon. The other 90% of films can’t be counting on a big deal, so they need to develop other strategies to use tools — from crowdfunding to DIY digital platforms — to reach their audience.” Thom Powers, documentary programmer for Toronto International Film Festival; artistic director for DOC NYC
TODAY’S DOC DAY PANEL The documentary world’s challenges and opportunities for the next five years will be discussed at a Doc Day panel today, moderated by Screen International’s Wendy Mitchell and featuring experts Orwa Nyrabia of IDFA, Fabrice Puchault of ARTE, Tom Quinn of Neon and Diane Weyermann of Participant Media. The panel is inspired by European Documentary Network’s media and society initiative.
» Doc Day kicks off at 9:30am today, Plage du Gray d’Albion
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SCREENINGS Edited by Paul Lindsell
paullindsell@gmail.com
THE SNATCH THIEF
FESTIVAL
(Argentina) 93mins. Dir: Agustin Toscano. Cast: Sergio Prina. A robber regrets having brutally hit an elderly woman in order to grab her handbag and attempts to make up for the damage he inflicted.
AND PRESS
08:30 SIR
(India) 96mins. Dir: Rohena Gera. Cast: Vivek Gomber, Tillotama Shome. In Mumbai, Ratna, a young widow from the countryside, works as a servant for Ashwin, a son from a good family whose wedding has just been called off. As he’s trying to pull himself together, he starts to fall in love with Ratna. But these new feelings may not sit well with their social positions. Critics’ Week Miramar
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT
(Denmark) 155mins. Dir: Lars von Trier. Cast: Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, Sofie Grabol, Siobhan Fallon Hogan. US, 1970s: we follow the highly intelligent Jack through five incidents and are introduced to the murders that define his development as a serial killer. Despite the fact that the final and inevitable police intervention is drawing ever near (which both provokes and puts pressure on Jack) he is — contrary to all logic — set on taking greater and greater chances. Out of Competition Lumiere Ticket required, press
08:45 AMIN
(France) 91mins. Dir: Philippe Faucon. Cast: Moustapha Mbengue, Emmanuelle Devos, Noureddine Benallouche. Amin came from Senegal nine years ago to work in France, leaving behind his wife Aisha and their three children. His work is his life, his friends the men
Directors’ Fortnight Theatre Croisette
13:30 LITTLE TICKLES
FESTIVAL & PRESS 12:00 BLACKKKLANSMAN
(US) 128mins. Dir: Spike Lee. Cast: Adam Driver, Topher Grace, Laura Harrier, Ryan Eggold. Ron Stallworth, an
who live with him. Aisha sees her husband only once or twice a year, for a week or two, sometimes a month. She accepts this situation as a necessity: the money that Amin sends to Senegal provides for several people. One day, Amin meets Gabrielle and starts a relationship. Directors’ Fortnight Theatre Croisette
09:00 ASAKO I & II
(Japan) 119mins. Dir: Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Cast: Masahiro Hagashide, Erika Karata. One day Asako’s first love suddenly disappears. Two years later, she meets his perfect double. Competition Salle Du 60eme
11:00 FOUR WHITE SHIRTS
(Latvia) 77mins. Dir: Rolands Kalnins.
16 Screen International at Cannes May 15, 2018
African-American police officer from Colorado, managed to successfully infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan and became the head of the local chapter. Competition Lumiere Ticket required
Cast: Arnolds Linins, Dina Kuple, Uldis Pucitis, Liga Liepina, Pauls Butkevics. Riga, 1960s: telephone assembler, self-made poet and composer Cezars Kalnin plays in a band with his friends but the texts written by him seem to be immoral to the middle-aged cultural worker Anita Sondore who puts obstacles in the way to stop the public performance of these songs. Cannes Classics Bunuel
who, like him, faced the death sentence. They too were subjected to pitiless cross-examinations. To a man they stood firm and turned the tables on the state: South Africa’s apartheid regime was in the dock. Recently recovered archival recordings of those hearings transport us back into the thick of the courtroom battles. Special Screenings Bazin Press
11:30 BUY ME A GUN
(Mexico) 84mins. Dir: Julio Hernandez Cordon. Cast: Angel Leonel Corral, Fabiana Hernandez, Matilde Hernandez. Drama set in Mexico in the near future, where young women are disappearing. A girl tries to hide her identity from the cartel.
THE STATE AGAINST MANDELA AND THE OTHERS
Directors’ Fortnight Theatre De La Licorne
(France) 105mins. Dirs: Nicolas Champeaux, Gilles Porte. This year marks the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth. He seized centre stage during a historic trial in 1963 and 1964. But there were eight others
FUGUE
(Poland) 100mins. Dir: Agnieszka Smoczynska. Cast: Lukasz Simlat, Gabriela Muskala, Malgorzata Buczkowska, Piotr Skiba. Alicja has no memory of her past but has managed
to build a new life and identity. When her family finds her, she has no intention of returning to her previous life, yet memories start to flicker in her head. Alicja’s new and old identities merge and result in unsettling self discovery. Critics’ Week Miramar
LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT
(China) 120mins. Dir: Bi Gan. Cast: Tang Wei, Sylvia Chang, Huang Jue. When Luo Hongwu returns to his hometown, memories of the enigmatic and beautiful woman for whom he killed resurface, confronting him with unbearable revelations. Un Certain Regard Debussy Press
12:00 BLACKKKLANSMAN See box, above
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT
(Denmark) 155mins. Dir: Lars von Trier. Cast: Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, Sofie Grabol, Siobhan Fallon Hogan. Out of Competition Salle Du 60eme
(France) 103mins. Dirs: Andréa Bescond, Eric Métayer. Cast: Andréa Bescond, Karin Viard, Clovis Cornillac. Odette is eight years old, she likes to paint and laugh. Of course she trusts adults, why would she be afraid of her parent’s friend? Why would she refuse to play “little tickles” with him? Odette doesn’t say anything, no one would believe her. To be understood, she dances. Odette is now 30-something: funny, intense and completely wild. A very promising dancer, but still broken by her lost childhood. Un Certain Regard Bazin
14:15 EUFORIA
(Italy) 120mins. Dir: Valeria Golino. Cast: Valerio Mastandrea, Riccardo Scamarcio. Two distant brothers are forced together by life events. Matte is a young successful entrepreneur who is open-minded, charming and dynamic. His brother Ettore still lives in the small provincial town where they were born, teaching at the local middle school. He is a fairly cautious and honest man, who has always stayed out of the spotlight for fear of making mistakes. They are two apparently very distant people. However, a difficult situation results in the two brothers being given the opportunity to get to know each other, and they soon www.screendaily.com
JURY GRID, PAGE 24
» Screening times and venues are correct at the time of going to press but subject to alteration
discover that they have a surprisingly close bond. Un Certain Regard Debussy Press
15:00 CARMEN & LOLA
(Spain) 103mins. Dir: Arantxa Echevarria. Cast: Zaira Romero, Rosy Rodriguez, Moreno Borja, Rafela Leon, Carolina Yuste. Carmen lives in a gypsy community in the suburbs of Madrid. Like every other woman she has ever met, she is destined to live a life that is repeated generation after generation: getting married and raising as many children as possible. But one day she meets Lola, an uncommon gypsy who dreams about going to university, draws bird graffiti and likes girls. Carmen quickly develops a complicity with Lola and discovers a world that, inevitably, leads them to be rejected by their families. Directors’ Fortnight Theatre Croisette
16:00 AT WAR
(France) 105mins.
Dir: Stéphane Brizé. Cast: Vincent Lindon. Despite heavy financial sacrifices on the part of their employees and record profits that year, the management of Perrin Industries decides to shut down a factory. The 1,100 employees, led by their spokesman Laurent Amedeo, decide to fight this brutal decision, ready to do everything to save their jobs. Competition Lumiere Ticket required, press
16:30
his cousin, Anja Kofmel, investigates his story. Critics’ Week Cinema Le Raimu SHÉHÉRAZADE
(France) 106mins. Films Boutique. Dir: JeanBernard Marlin. Cast: Nacer Khemir. Zachary, 17, gets out of prison. Rejected by his mother, he hangs out in the mean streets of Marseille. This is where he meets Shéhérazade. Critics’ Week Studio 13
AT WAR
WOMAN AT WAR
(France) 105mins. Dir: Stéphane Brizé. Cast: Vincent Lindon.
(France) 100mins. Dir: Benedikt Erlingsson. Cast: Halldora Geirharosdottir. Halla declares a onewoman-war on the local aluminium industry. She is prepared to risk everything to protect the pristine Icelandic Highlands she loves… until an orphan unexpectedly enters her life.
Competition Bazin Press CHRIS THE SWISS (Switzerland) 90mins.
Dir: Anja Kofmel. Cast: Joel Basman, Megan Gay. Croatia, January 1992 in the middle of the Yugoslav wars: a young journalist is found dead, dressed in the uniform of an international mercenary group. Twenty years later
Critics’ Week Theatre De La Licorne
16:45 LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT
FESTIVAL & PRESS
(China) 120mins. Dir: Bi Gan. Cast: Tang Wei, Sylvia Chang, Huang Jue. Un Certain Regard Debussy Press
17:00 LA RELIGIEUSE
(France) 135mins. Dir: Jacques Rivette. Cast: Anna Karina, Liselotte Pulver, Micheline Presle. Around 1750, a young girl is sent to a convent against her will. When she asks to renounce her vows, she finds herself caught in a fatal trap. Cannes Classics Bunuel
17:15 FUGUE
(Poland) 100mins. Dir: Agnieszka Smoczynska. Cast: Lukasz Simlat, Gabriela Muskala, Malgorzata Buczkowska, Piotr Skiba. Critics’ Week Miramar
18:00 AMIN
(France) 91mins. Dir: Philippe Faucon. Cast: Moustapha Mbengue, Emmanuelle Devos, Noureddine Benallouche.
FESTIVAL & PRESS 19:15 SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY
(US) 135mins. Dir: Ron Howard. Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover. ‘Star Wars’ spin-off following the adventures of a young Han Solo.
During an adventure into a dark criminal underworld, Solo meets his future co-pilot, Chewbacca, and encounters Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebellion. Special Screenings Lumiere Ticket required
Directors’ Fortnight Theatre Croisette
19:00 ASAKO I & II See box, above
OUR STRUGGLES
(Belgium) 98mins.
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19:00 ASAKO I & II
(Japan) 119mins. Dir: Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Cast: Masahiro Hagashide,
Erika Karata. One day Asako’s first love disappears suddenly. Two years later, she meets his perfect double. Competition Olympia 1
Dir: Guillaume Senez. Cast: Romain Duris, Laure Calamy. Olivier does the best he can to fight injustice at work. But when his wife Laura abandons the family home, he is left alone to juggle between the children’s needs, life’s daily challenges and his job. Faced with these new responsibilities, he struggles to find a balance… because Laura’s not coming back.
everything she can to help this very charming Antoine get back to his life and his wife. Everything that is, except telling the truth. But Antoine is having trouble adjusting to life on the other side, to say the least, and soon blows a fuse leading to a spectacular sequence of events.
Critics’ Week Cinema Alexandre Iii
See box, left
Directors’ Fortnight Studio 13
19:15 SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY 19:30
THE TROUBLE WITH YOU
SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY
(France) 107mins. Dir: Pierre Salvadori. Cast: Adèle Haenel, Pio Marmai, Audrey Tautou, Vincent Elbaz, Damien Bonnard. In a town on the French Riviera, detective Yvonne is the young widow of police chief Santi, a local hero. When she realises her husband was not exactly the model of virtue so idolised by their young son, and that an innocent young man, Antoine, has spent eight years in prison as Santi’s scapegoat, she is thrown into turmoil. Yvonne wants to do
(US) 135mins. Dir: Ron Howard. Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover. Special Screenings Debussy Press
19:45 SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY
(US) 135mins. Dir: Ron Howard. Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover. Special Screenings Bazin Press
20:00 BAD BAD WINTER
(Kazakhstan) 116mins.
May 15, 2018 Screen International at Cannes 17
»
SCREENINGS
MARKET SCREENINGS
09:00 SORRY ANGEL
FESTIVAL & PRESS 22:30 UNDER THE SILVER LAKE
(US) 139mins. Dir: David Robert Mitchell. Cast: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough. Sam is a disenchanted 33-year-old who discovers a mysterious woman, Sarah, frolicking in his apartment’s swimming Dir: Olga Korotko. Cast: Tolganay Talgat, Marat Abishev, Zhalgas Zhangazin, Nurgul Alpysbayeva, Tair Magzumov. When a businessman’s daughter receives a visit from her former classmates, their reunion takes an unexpected turn. ACID Arcades 1
SEARCHING FOR INGMAR BERGMAN
(Germany) 95mins. Dirs: Margarethe von Trotta, Felix Moeller. Cast: Liv Ullman, Daniel Bergman, Linn Ullman, Ruben Ostlund, Jean Claude Carriere. A look at Bergman’s life and work and explores his film legacy. Cannes Classics Salle Du 60eme
20:30 THE SNATCH THIEF
(Argentina) 93mins. Dir: Agustin Toscano. Cast: Sergio Prina. Directors’ Fortnight Theatre Croisette
21:30 BLACKKKLANSMAN
(US) 128mins.
pool. When she vanishes, Sam embarks on a surreal quest across Los Angeles to decode the secret behind her disappearance, leading him into the murkiest depths of mystery, scandal and conspiracy in the city of Los Angeles. Competition Lumiere Ticket required
Dir: Spike Lee. Cast: Adam Driver, Topher Grace, Laura Harrier, Ryan Eggold. Competition Olympia 1
BUY ME A GUN
(Mexico) 84mins. Dir: Julio Hernandez Cordon. Cast: Angel Leonel Corral, Fabiana Hernandez, Matilde Hernandez. Directors’ Fortnight Studio 13
VERTIGO
(US) 128mins. Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: James Stewart, Kim Novak. A former detective with a fear of heights is tasked with following an acquaintance’s wife. Cinema On The Beach Plage Mace
22:00 BLACKKKLANSMAN
(US) 128mins. Dir: Spike Lee. Cast: Adam Driver, Topher Grace, Laura Harrier, Ryan Eggold.
Lukasz Simlat, Gabriela Muskala, Malgorzata Buczkowska, Piotr Skiba. Critics’ Week Miramar
22:30 LEAVE NO TRACE
(US) 108mins. Dir: Debra Granik. Cast: Ben Foster, Jeff Kober, Dale Dickey. Will and his teenage daughter, Tom have lived off the grid, blissfully undetected by authorities in a vast nature reserve on the edge of Portland, Oregon. When a chance encounter blows their cover however, they’re removed from their camp and put into the charge of social services. Struggling to adapt to their new surroundings, Will and Tom set off on a perilous journey back to the wilderness, where they are finally forced to confront conflicting desires — a longing for community versus a fierce need to live apart.
09:15 HAPPY AS LAZZARO
(Italy) 125mins. The Match Factory. Dir: Alice Rohrwacher. Cast: Nicoletta Braschi, Sergi Lopez, Alba Rohrwacher. This is the tale of a meeting between Lazzaro, a young peasant so good that he is often mistaken for simple-minded, and Tancredi, a young nobleman cursed by his imagination. Life in their isolated pastoral village Inviolata is dominated
NAGARKIRTAN
(India) 116mins. Federation Of Indian Chambers Of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). Dir: Ganguly Kaushik. Cast: Ritwick Chakraborty, Riddhi Sen. A film about a same-sex relationships. Palais F
09:30 A TWELVE-YEAR-NIGHT See box, below
CASSANDRO THE EXOTICO!
(France) 73mins. UDI — Urban Distribution International. Dir: Marie Losier. Cast: Saul Almendariz. After 26 years of spinning dives and flying uppercuts in the ring, Cassandro, the star of the genderbending cross-dressing Mexican wrestlers known
Riviera 2
I FEEL BETTER
(France) 86mins. Europacorp. Dir: JeanPierre Ameris. Cast: Eric Elmosino, Ary Abittan, Judith El Zein, Alice Pol, Fran.cois Berleand. A middle-aged man suffers from tremendous back pains. No doctors seem to be able to cure him. What if the remedy was elsewhere? Of his work, his wife or his family, what must he change to get better? Olympia 2 MADONNA & THE BREAKFAST CLUB
(US) 104mins. Lotus Entertainment. Dir: Guy Guido. Cast: Oscar Pavlo, Denisa Juhos, Jordan Loewenstein. A documentary story of Madonna’s struggling days in New York with her first band, Breakfast Club, leading up to her first solo record deal. Palais H
09:45 15 MINUTES OF WAR
(France) 95mins. Playtime. Dir: Fred Grivois. Cast: Alban Lenoir, Olga Kurylenko. 1976: Somalian rebels hijack a school bus with
EUFORIA
(Italy) 120mins. Dir: Valeria Golino. Cast: Valerio Mastandrea, Riccardo Scamarcio. Un Certain Regard Debussy Press
SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY
Competition Salle Du 60eme 22:30
FUGUE
Special Screenings Bazin Press
18 Screen International at Cannes May 15, 2018
Palais J Priority badges only
Arcades 1
as the Exoticos, is far from retiring. But with dozens of broken bones and metal pins in his body, he must now reinvent himself.
Directors’ Fortnight Arcades 1
(US) 135mins. Dir: Ron Howard. Cast: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover.
(Poland) 100mins. Dir: Agnieszka Smoczynska. Cast:
(France) 132mins. mk2 Films. Dir: Christophe Honore. Cast: Vincent Lacoste, Pierre Deladonchamps, Denis Podalydes. Jacques is a writer living in Paris. He hasn’t turned 40 but already doubts that the best in life is yet to come. Arthur is a student living in Brittany. He reads and smiles a lot and refuses to think that everything in life might not be possible. Jacques and Arthur will like each other. Just like in a lovely dream. Just like in a sad story.
by the terrible Marchesa Alfonsina de Luna, the queen of cigarettes. A loyal bond is sealed when Tancredi asks Lazzaro to help him orchestrate his own kidnapping. This strange and improbable alliance is a revelation for Lazzaro. A friendship so precious that it will travel in time and transport Lazzaro in search of Tancredi. His first time in the big city, Lazzaro is like a fragment of the past lost in the modern world.
UNDER THE SILVER LAKE
MARKET 09:30 A TWELVE-YEAR-NIGHT
(Spain) 122mins.Latido Films. Dir: Alvaro Brechner. Cast: Antonio De La Torre, Chino Darin, Alfonso Tort, Darine El Khatib. One autumn night in 1972, three political prisoners are taken from
their prison cells in a secret military operation that will last 12 years. The three men remain isolated in tiny cells in which they spend most of the time with hoods over their heads. Among them is Pepe Mujica — later to become president of Uruguay. Riviera 1 Priority badges only
See box, above left
www.screendaily.com
21 French children and an American teacher, and drive it to a no-man’s-land, on the border between the French colony and Somalia. French captain Andre Gerval is called to lead a small team of elite snipers to secretly prepare an emergency rescue. When diplomacy comes at a stall and time is running out, Gerval and his team take alone the responsibility of carrying out a simultaneous five-men sniper attack to get the children and their teacher out safely. A true story. Arcades 2
BUTTERFLIES
(Turkey) 117mins. Films Boutique. Dir: Karacelik Tolga. Cast: Tolga Tekin, Bartu Kucukcaglayan, Tugce Altug. In a Turkish village, three siblings who neither know each other nor anything about their late father,
wait to bury his body. As they start to find out more about their father and each other, they also start to learn more about themselves. Lerins 3
THE DEAD AND THE OTHERS
(Brazil) 114mins. Luxbox. Dirs: Joao Salaviza, Renee Nader Messora. Cast: Henrique Ihjac Kraho, Raene Koto Kraho. The mourning must cease. Denying his duty and in order to escape a process of becoming a shaman, Ihjac runs away to the city. Far from his people and culture, he faces the reality of being an indigenous in contemporary Brazil. Palais I Priority badges only
TOUCH ME NOT
(Romania) 125mins. Doc & Film International. Dir: Adina Pintilie. Cast: Laura Benson, Tomas Lemarquis,
Christian Beyerlein, Grit Uhlemann, Adina Pintilie, Hanna Hoffmann, Seani Love, Irmena Chichikova, Rainer Steffen, Georgi Naldzhiev. Laura, a traumatised Englishwoman in her 50s, who is afraid of intimacy, explores her sexuality with the help of therapists and unusual individuals — all as part of a research project conducted by filmmaker Adina. Palais K
10:00 ANA BY DAY
(Spain) 104mins. Media Luna New Films. Dir: Andrea Jaurrieta. Cast: Ingrid Garcia Jonsson, Mona Martinez. Ana is a young woman about to finish her PhD and get married. One day, a lookalike appears and takes her place. First time anonymous and free, Ana decides to test her limits
between a boarding house and cabaret nights. Lerins 1
LANG
(China) 92mins. Beijing Tianxing Film And Television Culture Co. Dir: Hang Tao Palais C
THE SEVEN DESERTERS
(France) 91mins. Axxon Films. Dir: Paul Vecchiali. Cast: Astrid Adverbe, Marianne Basler, Simone Tassimot, Jean-Philippe Puymartin, Ugo Broussot, Pascal Cervo, Bruno Davézé. Seven deserters in an anonymous war communicate by sound before dying one after the other. Gray 5 THE SILENCE OF OTHERS
(US, Spain) 93mins. Cinephil. Dirs: Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar. The first attempt to
prosecute crimes of Spain’s near 40-year dictatorship under General Franco (1939-75). In a groundbreaking international court case, victims of re-education camps, child abduction and torture have come together to break their silence and confront the perpetrators. Palais E
11:30 LES AFFAMES
(France) 110mins. Studiocanal. Dir: Lea Fredeval. Cast: Louane Emera, Fran.cois Deblock, Nina Melo. At 21, Zoe is sick and tired of everyone taking her for granted, just because she’s young. She dreams of a day when all millennials go on strike, so that people finally recognise their true value. Olympia 9
BAD REPUTATION
(US) 95mins. Submarine
Entertainment. Dir: Kevin Kerslake. Documentary about rock star Joan Jett. Gray 2
LET HIM BE A BASKETBALL PLAYER
(Slovenia) 79mins. Slovenian Film Centre. Dir: Boris Petkovic. Cast: Lado Bizovicar, Matija David Brodnik, Gaja Filac. The story of Ranta, an always hungry, clumsy and infinitely tall teenage boy. When the gym teacher at his school invites him to play for a basketball team, Ranta’s world is turned upside down. Palais B
THE INTERPRETER
(Czech Republic) 113mins. Celluloid Dreams/Celluloid Nightmares. Dir: Martin Sulik. Cast: Peter Simonischek,Jiri Menzel. When 80-year-old Ali
An extraordinary journey in the soul of Caravaggio through his masterpieces.
A new intimate insight on the genius of Van Gogh, seen by the eyes of his largest collector. D ITALY HAS CHARME VAN GOGH FICE OF X BO RO 450.000 EU LY IN 3 DAYS ON IES!
COUNTR SOLD IN 40
VAN GOGH
AW IN ITALY OFFICE DR HUGE BOX OFFICE X EURO BO 1.6 MILLION 0 ADMISSIONS 00 0. 17 H IT W UNTRIES!
CO SOLD IN 40
OF WHEAT FIELDS AND CLOUDIES SKIES
SCREENING: MAY, 15 OLYMPIA 3
AT 11:30
Pedro Citaristi Head of international sales Mobile +39 340 3386486 | pedro.citaristi@nexodigital.it
SCREENING: MAY, 16 AT 11:30 OLYMPIA 3
Nexo Digital Srl | Nexodigitalmedia.com P.le Cadorna 15 20123 Milan (Italy) »
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May 15, 2018 Screen International at Cannes 19
SCREENINGS
Ungar comes across a book by a former SS officer describing his wartime activities in Slovakia, he realises his parents were executed by him. He sets out to take revenge but sends instead his 70-yearold son, Georg, a retired teacher.
out of the cockpit when the checkered flag drops. Gray 3
WE
(Netherlands) 100mins. Wide. Dir: Rene Eller. Cast: Aime Claeys, Tijmen Govaerts, Pauline Casteleyn. During a summer in a Belgian-Dutch village, eight teens play games of discovery to break the monotony. They challenge each other and themselves and soon their sexual curiosity starts to blur the lines between right and wrong.
Arcades 3
SAUDI FILM COLLECTION SESSION 2
(Saudi Arabia) 110mins. Saudi Film Council. Palais H
THE STATE AGAINST MANDELA AND THE OTHERS
(France) 105mins. Versatile. Dirs: Nicolas Champeaux, Gilles Porte. This year marks the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth. He seized centre stage during a historic trial in 1963 and 1964. But there were eight others who, like him, faced the death sentence. Hearings transport us back into the thick of the courtroom battles. Olympia 7
THE TROUBLE WITH YOU
(France) 107mins. mk2 Films. Dir: Pierre Salvadori. Cast: Adele Haenel, Pio Marmai, Audrey Tautou, Vincent Elbaz, Damien Bonnard. Detective Yvonne is the young widow of a police chief hero. When she realises he was not the model of virtue so idolised by their young son, and that an innocent young man has spent eight years in prison as his scapegoat, she is thrown into turmoil. Palais J (Priority badges only) & Arcades 1
VAN GOGH — OF WHEAT FIELDS AND CLOUDED SKIES
(Italy) 90mins. Nexo Digital. Dir: Giovanni Piscaglia. Cast: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. Van Gogh through the legacy of the largest private collector of artworks. Olympia 3
VIRGINS
(France) 91mins. Pyramide International. Dir: Keren Ben Rafael. Cast: Joy Rieger, Zohar
Palais C
WITNESSES
MARKET 14:00 THE HARVESTERS
(France) 105mins. Pyramide International. Dir: Etienne Kallos. Cast: Morné Visser, Alex van Dyk, Juliana Venter. South Africa, Free State region, isolated stronghold to the Afrikaans white ethnic Strauss, Evgenia Dodina. In a small town on the north coast of Israel, everything seems to have stopped. Lana, a rebellious teenager, vowed to fight against resignation and immobilism. She couldn’t imagine that the rumour of a mermaid off the coast would wake her town from its torpidity.
minority culture: in this conservative farming territory obsessed with strength and masculinity, Janno is different, secretive, emotionally frail. One day his mother, fiercely religious, brings home Pieter, a hardened orphan. Riviera 1
operator. The life he shares with his wife revolves around their only son, who is preparing for his high school exams. The boy’s repeated migraine attacks are a cause of much worry to his parents but when he finally seems to be getting better, Sami suddenly disappears. Palais I Priority badges only
Riviera 2
12:00 BERNARDA
(Spain) 97mins. Ebano Media. Dir: Emilio Ruiz Barrachina. Cast: Victoria Abril, Assumpta Serna, Miriam Diaz Arroca. Five women are kidnapped and locked in a strange factory and forced to work as prostitutes. Gray 5
DEAR SON
(Tunisia) 105mins. Luxbox. Dir: Mohamed Ben Attia. Cast: Mohamed Dhrif, Mouna Mejri, Zakaria Ben Ayed. Riadh is about to retire from his job as a forklift
20 Screen International at Cannes May 15, 2018
EUGENIA
(Bolivia) 82mins. Cinema Do Brasil. Dir: Martin Boulocq. A young woman living in a small town in Bolivia has decided to separate from her husband, leave her job and move to her father’s house in another city. She wants to start a different life. As time goes by she gets disappointed until one day she receives a notice that will threaten her long-awaited independence. Palais G
LADA KAMENSKI
(Croatia) 74mins. Croatian Audiovisual Centre. Dirs:
Hribar Sara, Marko Santic. Cast: Frano Maskovic, Ksenija Marinkovic. Lada Kamenski is a seamstress in a failing Eastern European textile factory. Three middle-aged actresses are facing an opportunity of a lifetime: playing a leading role in a movie about Lada’s struggle. Feminist issues clash with existential problems, with a dash of complex human pathology. Palais E
(Russia) 104mins. Russian Film Group. Dir: Konstantin Fam. Cast: Oksana Fandera, Filipp Yankovsky, Vyacheslav Chepurchenko. Riviera 1
13:15 ASAKO I & II
(Japan) 119mins. mk2 Films. Dir: Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Cast: Masahiro Hagashide, Erika Karata. One day Asako’s first love suddenly disappears. Two years later, she meets his perfect double. Palais J Priority badges only
LETO
(France) 126mins. Charades. Dir: Kirill Serebrennikov. Cast: Teo Yoo, Irina Starshenbaum, Filip Avdeev, Alexandr Gorchilin. Leningrad, summer 1981: Among the followers of Led Zeppelin and Bowie, young Viktor Tsoi is eager to make a name for himself. The encounter with his idol, Mike, will change his life forever. Olympia 4
THE LAST RACE
(US) 74mins. Submarine Entertainment. Dir: Michael Dweck. Cast: Marty Berger, Mike Cappiello, Barbara Cromarty. Riverhead Raceway is a rare beast. For decades it has hosted showdowns between local residents who bring their ‘Mad Max’—inspired stock cars to do battle on a quartermile track. Passions spill
13:30
Lives intertwine and connect when Francesca navigates through the living world by encountering strangers at the exact moment she needs to, sending their lives on either a better course towards happiness or setting the wheels in motion towards a tragic end. Palais H
14:00 BUMP TRUMP
(Germany) 25mins. Culturesafe Films. Dir: James Prineas. A murderous satire that will fulfil the fantasy of every sane individual on the planet. Palais C
DAYS OF MADNESS
(Croatia) 73mins. Croatian Audiovisual Centre. Dir: Damian Nenadic. Cast: Mladen Badjun, Maja Scukanec. An incredible odyssey of two mentally diverse and unjustly rejected people who are learning to accept their differences, faced with the blindness of the society that branded them as hopeless and the health system that made them addicts. Palais E
THE HARVESTERS See box, above left
ANIMATION DAY IN CANNES DISCOVERIES
HOLLYWOULD/MR WIGGLES SAVES THE WORLD
(US) 110mins. Filmfestivals.Com.
(US) 45mins. Gas Money Pictures. Dir: James Billa.
Palais B
Palais I
CAMPUS MOVIEFEST SHORTS SESSION 1
MADE IN ALGERIA
(US) 110mins. Campus Moviefest. Palais F
L’ANIMALE
(Austria) 96mins. Films Boutique. Dir: Mückstein Katharina. Cast: Sophie Stockinger, Kathrin Resetarits, Dominik Warta. A film about the contradictory forces that guide our lives: desire, passion and reason. Lerins 2
(Algeria) 120mins. Centre Algerien De Developpement Du Cinema. Collection of short films. Palais G
THE MAN WHO STOLE BANKSY
(UK) 91mins. Elle Driver. Dir: Marco Proserpio. Cast: Iggy Pop, Stephan Keszler, Annabelle Gauberti. In 2007, Banksy slips into Palestine to paint on walls. Arcades 2
WE ARE BOATS
(US) 107mins. Greta Joanne Entertainment. Dir: James Bird. Cast: Uzo Aduba, Angela Sarafyan, Luke Hemsworth.
ON HER SHOULDERS
(US) 94mins. Cinephil. Dir: Alexandria Bombach. Nadia Murad leads
www.screendaily.com
a harrowing but vital crusade: to speak out on behalf of the embattled Yazidi community who face mass extermination by ISIS militants. Palais D
THE OTHER WOMAN
(France) 86mins. Other Angle Pictures. Dir: Daniel Auteuil. Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil. Daniel is very much in love with his wife, but has a lot of imagination and a very demanding best friend. When his friend introduces him to his young and beautiful new girlfriend over a dinner between couples, Daniel finds himself trapped between his wife who knows him inside out, and his fantasies that can take him places he didn’t expect. Palais K
Kamishiraishi, Gen Hoshino. Kun is a happy four-yearold boy until the birth of his little sister Mirai. His joy quickly turns to disappointment when she replaces him as the centre of attention. But Kun discovers a mysterious garden — a magical door to a fantastic world where past and future meet. Olympia 4 Priority badges only
14:40 BUMP TRUMP
(Germany) 25mins. Culturesafe Films. Dir: James Prineas. Palais C
15:20
(US) 90mins. Your Total Image Productions. Dir: Lillian Glass. Cast: Rosalee Glass, Robert Huizenga, Dr. Lillian Glass, Joyce Sharman. Rosalee Glass, a former Holocaust survivor taken prisoner to a Siberian gulag during the Second World War transforms her destiny. In her 80s she begins an acting career, in her 90s wins a senior beauty pageant and dares to ride Alaskan Sled dogs at 100. Gray 5
THE SHOW’S THE THING (WORKING TITLE)
90mins. Doc Corner.
(US) 96mins. Submarine Entertainment. Dirs: Molly Bernstein, Philip Dolin.
Olympia 1
MADRAS BEATS
(India) 110mins. Mindscreen Cinemas. Dir: Rajiv Menon. Cast: Aparna Balamurali, GV Prakash Kumar, Nedumudi Venu. Gray 2
GURRUMUL
(Australia) 96mins. Cinephil. Dir: Paul Damien Williams. Indigenous artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu is one of the most celebrated voices to ever come out of Australia. Palais B
BUMP TRUMP
(Germany) 25mins. Culturesafe Films. Dir: James Prineas.
JOUD
(China) 90mins. Mendovision. Dir: Zhang Miao.
(Saudi Arabia) 72mins: Saudi Film Council. Dir: Andrew Lancaster. An experimental story structure derived from a pre-Islamic form of poetry, the “Qasida”, dubbing the film as an “ancient poem for modern times”.
Palais F
Palais D
BROKEN PANTIES — FAMILY SECRETS
MILF
Palais C
REINVENTING ROSALEE
DOC DAY — AFTERNOON SESSION
15:30 150 HOURS
(Chile, Argentina) 105mins. Minerva Pictures Group. Dir: Arnaldo Valsecchi. The imminent death of a matriarch forces her whole family to reunite. From her dying confession, other episodes will come to light.
(France) 110mins. Studiocanal. Dir: Axelle Laffont. Cast: MarieJosee Croze, Virginie Ledoyen, Axelle Laffont. Three best friends in their 40s start a relationship with younger men while on vacation. Olympia 9
Palais J
REPRISE
(France) 192mins. ACID. Dir: Herve Le Roux. Arcades 1
THE TROUBLESHOOTER
(France) 84mins. Le Pacte. Dir: Julien Guetta. Cast: Eric Judor, Laure Calamy. Alex, 43, is a man of few responsibilities. He works as a tow truck driver. One day, he assists a woman and ends up spending the night at her place. The next morning, Alex discovers he is alone… with three kids. Lerins 3
14:15 MIRAI
(Japan) 105mins. Charades. Dir: Mamoru Hosoda. Cast: Haru Kuroki, Moka
www.screendaily.com
POISONING PARADISE BUY ME A GUN
(Mexico) 84mins. Films Boutique. Dir: Julio Hernandez Cordon. Cast: Matilde Hernandez Guinea, Rogelio Sosa, Sostenes Rojas. In a timeless Mexico where women are disappearing, a girl called Huck wears a mask to hide her gender. She helps her dad, a tormented addict, to take care of an abandoned baseball camp where the narcos gather to play. The father tries to protect her as he can. With the help of her friends, a group of lost boys who have the power of camouflaging themselves in the windy desert, Huck has to overcome her reality and defeat the local capo. Olympia 3
(US) 78mins. Cinema Libre International. Riviera 2 By invitation only
POOL
Gray 4
16:00 BUDAPEST
(France) 95mins. Other Angle Pictures. Dir: Xavier Gens. Cast: Manu Payet, Jonathan Cohen. Two childhood friends leave their stable but boring jobs to start a company that organises bachelor parties in Budapest. Arcades 2
GIRLS OF THE SUN
(France) 115mins. Elle Driver. Dir: Eva Husson. Cast: Emmanuelle Bercot. A young lawyer visits her family in a small town in Kurdistan. In a bloody attack led by extremists, her husband is killed and she’s taken prisoner. A few months after her escape, she’s now the commander of the ‘Girls of the Sun’, a female battalion. The objective: to take back the town where she was captured and bring back her hostage son. By her side is Mathilde, a veteran war reporter.
VIRUS TROPICAL
(Colombia) 97mins. Stray Dogs. Dir: Santiago Caicedo. Cast: Alejandro Borrero, Maria Cecilia Sanchez, Martina Toro. Paola grows up between Ecuador and Colombia and finds herself unable to fit in. She will have to fight against prejudice and struggle for her independence while her universe is struck by a series of crises. Gray 5
17:30 16 SUNRISES
(France) 110mins. La Vingt-Cinquieme Heure. Dir: Pierre-Emmanuel Le Goff. Cast: Thomas Pesquet. On November 17, 2016, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet takes off for his first mission in space.
AGAVE: THE SPIRIT OF A NATION
(US) 79mins. Submarine Entertainment. Dir: Nicholas Kovacic. Cast: Damian Alcazar, Carlos Camarena, Graciela Angeles Carreno. An expressive documentary capturing the spirit of a nation and the people trying to protect it.
(Sweden) 75mins. Pool Productions Ab. Dir: Anders Lennberg. Cast: Niclas Gillis, Natacha Guyon, Moa Garpendal, David Asavanond. Johan, 24, spends his days in Nice on the French Riviera, supported by an ageing ex-actress. Memories of Johan’s teenage years are haunting him. A strong sense of threat is growing stronger and stronger. Desire and fear are acted out by the controlled but helpless people in this seemingly perfect and glamorous world.
Riviera 1
Palais H
Palais E
MALI
(Croatia) 90mins. Croatian Audiovisual Centre. Dir: Antonio Nuic. Cast: Rakan Rushaidat, Franjo Dijak, Vito Dijak, Bojan Navojec, Hrvoje Keckes. Four years in prison didn’t change Franky. He is a drug dealer. His wife is on her deathbed and her parents want custody of Franky’s child. But Franky has no intention of letting anyone take custody of Mali.
DAISY WINTERS
(US) 91mins. Hannover House. Dir: Beth LaMure. Cast: Brooke Shields, Iwan Rheon, Carrie Preston. An 11-year-old girl’s unconventional yet deeply loving, relationship with her mother and what happens when this essential mother/daughter bond is harshly broken. Palais K
(China) 140mins. Movie View International Co. (Hong Kong). Dir: Li Fangfang. Cast: Zhang Ziyi, Huang Xiaoming, Wang Leehom. The story of four generations spanning a hundred years of modern Chinese history. Olympia 8 By invitation only
20:00 16 SUNRISES
Gray 4
(Argentina) 96mins. Primer Plano Film Group. Dir: Nicolas Tuozzo.
(France) 110mins. La Vingt-Cinquieme Heure. Dir: Pierre-Emmanuel Le Goff. Cast: Thomas Pesquet.
Palais H
Olympia 2
WHO
BAD BAD WINTER
(India) 125 mins. Corridor 6 Films. Dir: Ajay Devaloka. Cast: Shine Tom Chacko, Pearle Maaney, Shruthy Menon, Rajeev Pillai. In a mysterious valley, a series of strange events unfold on a Christmas day. A young girl, a dream interpreter, a criminal psychologist and a team of officers try to solve the puzzles by following clues from the dreams of various strangers.
(Kazakhstan) 116mins. Acid. Dir: Olga Korotko. Cast: Tolganay Talgat, Marat Abishev, Zhalgas Zhangazin, A businessman’s daughter receives the visit of her former classmates. Their reunion takes an unexpected turn.
THE SUFFERING
(France) 99mins. Pyramide International. Dir: Laetitia Carton. The story of a ball. A big ball. Every summer, more than 2,000 people come from all over Europe to a small town in the French countryside.
Gray 5
FOREVER YOUNG
Palais J
Olympia 8
LE GRAND BAL
Christopher Cousins, Missi Pyle. Former US Ambassador Chris Williams needs a new heart but has lost the will to live. When medical student Jones is assigned to take care of Chris, the young man’s relentless approach to caregiving uncovers a dark secret.
Palais B
18:00 CARETAKERS
(US) 90mins. Glass House Distribution. Dir: George Loomis. Cast: George Loomis,
Arcades 1 SINJAR
(US) 115mins. Basil Content Media. Dir: Adam Dufour. Cast: Jacob Dufour, TL Bridger, Wayne E Brown. A British insurance agent enlists the help of an ex-Army ranger to rescue his sister, who has become entangled with ISIS. Palais G
May 15, 2018 Screen International at Cannes 21
LE STUDIO CANNES
5 Rue des Belges, 06400 Cannes FRANCE www.lestudiocannes.com
★
★★
★
★★
★
★
YOMEDDINE (Egy-Aust) AB Shawky
★
★
★★
★★
★★
★★
LETO (Rus-Fr) Kirill Serebrennikov
★★
SORRY ANGEL (Fr) Christophe Honoré
★ ★★
COLD WAR (Pol-Fr-UK) Pawel Pawlikowski
★
★★
★ ★★
1.8
★★
★ ★★
1.8
★★
2.4
★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★
★ ★★
★★
★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★
★
★★
2.3
★
★★
★ ★★
★★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★★
★★ ★★
★★ ★★
2.9
THE IMAGE BOOK (Fr) Jean-Luc Godard
★★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★
★ ★★
★ ★★
3
ASH IS PUREST WHITE (China-Fr) Jia Zhangke
★★
★ ★★
★★
★ ★★
★★ ★★
★★
★★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
2.9
GIRLS OF THE SUN (Fr) Eva Husson
✖
✖
★
★
★
★ ★★
★
★
★
★
1
THREE FACES (Iran) Jafar Panahi
★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★★
★★
★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
2.6
★
★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★★ ★★
★ ★★
★★
★★ ★★
★★ ★★
2.9
★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★★ ★★
★★ ★★
★ ★★
★ ★★
★★ ★★
3.2
HAPPY AS LAZZARO (It-Ger-Fr-Swi) Alice Rohrwacher SHOPLIFTERS (Jap) Hirokazu Kore-eda
★★
★ ★★
Good
AVERAGE
★★
★★★
SCREEN INTERNATIONAL
★★
★ ★★
Excellent
ANTON DOLIN Meduza, Russia
MICHEL CIMENT Positif, France Culture, France
EVERYBODY KNOWS (Iran) Asghar Farhadi
JUSTIN CHANG Los Angeles Times, US
TIM ROBEY, ROBBIE COLLIN The Daily Telegraph, UK
KONG RITHDEE Bangkok Post, Thailand
NICK JAMES Sight & Sound, UK
WANG MUYAN Ellemen, China
★★★★
KATJA NICODEMUS Die Zeit, Germany
THE SCREEN JURY AT CANNES
JULIEN GESTER, DIDIER PERON Libération, France
JURY GRID
★ ★★
ASAKO I & II (Jap) Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Asako her boyfriend’s double two ★★meets★★ ★★ perfect ★★ ★★years after ★★his abrupt ★★disappearance. ★★ Masahiro ★★ Higashide ★★ and Erika Karata star for Hamaguchi, who his Cannes★★ debut in Competition. ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★makes ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★
BLACKKKLANSMAN (US) Spike Lee
Lee’s inspired by the true story Stallworth, an undercover police officer ★★latest is★★ ★★ ★★ of Ron★★ ★★ ★★ African-American ★★ ★★ ★★ who infiltrated Ku Klux Klan. Adam Driver star. ★★ ★★ the★★ ★★John David ★★ Washington ★★ and★★ ★★ ★★ ★★
AT WAR (Fr) Stéphane Brizé
Brizé Vincent★★ Lindon reunite prize winner Man for another ★★and actor ★★ ★★after Cannes ★★ 2015 ★★ ★★The Measure ★★ Of A★★ ★★ socially engaged this time about leader fighting ★★ tale,★★ ★★ a union ★★ ★★ a factory ★★ closure. ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★
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a curious★★ mind who★★ investigates missing★★ persons from ★★ Garfield ★★heads this ★★trippy crime ★★ tale as ★★ ★★ ★★his UNDER THE SILVER LAKE (US) Andrew David Robert Mitchell neighbourhood. Topher Grace ★★ ★★Riley Keough ★★ and ★★ ★★also star. ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★
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BURNING (S Kor) Lee Chang-dong
Lee’s Steven Yeun play a well-to-do with a secret Yoo Ah-in★★ as a part-time ★★love triangle ★★ sees ★★ ★★ ★★ man ★★ ★★ hobby,★★ ★★deliveryman hoping a novelist and woman ★★ who comes★★ between them. ★★ to be ★★ ★★newcomer ★★Jun Jong-seo ★★ as the ★★ ★★ ★★
DOGMAN (It-Fr-UK) Matteo Garrone
Billed is based★★ on a 30-year-old story and★★ centres on★★ a man (Marcello ★★as an ‘urban ★★ western’ ★★, Dogman ★★ ★★ news ★★ ★★ Fonte) seeking friend who him in jail. ★★ ★★ revenge ★★on an old ★★ ★★landed ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★
CAPERNAUM (Leb-Fr) Nadine Labaki
Lebanese film focuses on a rebellious who wishes parents★★ for having him. ★★ filmmaker ★★ Labaki’s ★★ third★★ ★★ ★★ youth ★★ ★★to sue his ★★ Set in the titular village, the★★ film has a★★ cast of mainly actors. ★★ ★★ ★★Palestinian ★★fishing★★ ★★non-professional ★★ ★★
KNIFE + HEART (Fr) Yann Gonzalez
Vanessa a late-1970s-set about a Parisian executive seeking credibility with ★★ Paradis ★★stars in★★ ★★ story★★ ★★ TV★★ ★★ to restore ★★ her★★ a more is disrupted cast is targeted a serial killer. ★★ creatively ★★ ambitious ★★production, ★★ which★★ ★★when the ★★ ★★ by ★★ ★★
AYKA (Rus-Ger-Pol) Sergei Dvortsevoy
A young immigrant worker in★★ Moscow tries down her★★ baby, who★★ she abandoned hospital. ★★ Asian★★ ★★ ★★to track★★ ★★ at the★★ Samal Yeslyamova, and David★★ Alaverdyan star. ★★ ★★ Andrey ★★Pashnin★★ ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★
THE WILD PEAR TREE (Tur-Fr) Nuri Bilge Ceylan
An★★ aspiring writer to his native in rural Turkey, he becomes overwhelmed father’s debts. ★★ returns ★★ ★★village★★ ★★ where★★ ★★ ★★ by his★★ Dogu T Hazar★★ Erguclu and Ahmet Rifat star. ★★Demirkol, ★★ ★★ ★★Sungar★★ ★★ ★★ ★★ ★★
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24 Screen International at Cannes May 15, 2018
★★ Average ★ Poor
✖ Bad
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, 2018